Heaven and its Wonders and HellSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
Heaven and its Wonders and Hell
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Future life -- Christianity -- Early work to 1800; Heaven -- Christianity; Hell -- Christianity
are quiescent, just as they are when one is not thinking of them.
Nevertheless, they are reproduced when the Lord so wills. But more
will be said presently about this memory and its state after death. A
sensual man finds it impossible to believe that such is the state of
man after death, because he cannot comprehend it; for a sensual man
must needs think naturally even about spiritual things; therefore,
any thing that does not appeal to his senses, that is, that he does
not see with his bodily eyes and touch with his hands (as is said of
Thomas, John 20:25, 27, 29) he denies the existence of. (What the
sensual man is may be seen above, n. 267 and notes.)
462. [a.] And yet there is a great difference between man's life in
the spiritual world and his life in the natural world, in regard both
to his outer senses and their affections and his inner senses and
their affections. Those that are in heaven have more exquisite
senses, that is, a keener sight and hearing, and also think more
wisely than when they were in the world; for they see in the light of
heaven, which surpasses by many degrees the light of the world (see
above, n. 126); and they hear by means of a spiritual atmosphere,
which likewise surpasses by many degrees the earthly atmosphere (n.
235). This difference in respect to the outward senses is like the
difference between clear sunshine and dark cloudiness in the world,
or between noonday light and evening shade. For the light of heaven,
since it is Divine truth, enables the eyes of angels to perceive and
distinguish most minute things. [2] Moreover, their outer sight
corresponds to their inner sight or understanding; for with angels
one sight so flows into the other as to act as one with it; and this
gives them their great keenness of vision. In like manner, their
hearing corresponds to their perception, which pertains both to the
understanding and to the will, and in consequence they perceive in
the tone and words of one speaking the most minute things of his
affection and thought; in the tone what pertains to his affection,
and in the words what pertains to his thought (see above,
n. 234-245). But the rest of the senses with the angels are less
exquisite than the senses of seeing and hearing, for the reason that
seeing and hearing serve their intelligence and wisdom, and the rest
do not; and if the other senses were equally exquisite they would
detract from the light and joy of their wisdom, and would let in the
delight of pleasures pertaining to various appetites and to the body;
and so far as these prevail they obscure and weaken the
understanding. This takes place in the world, where men become gross
and stupid in regard to spiritual truths so far as they indulge the
sense of taste and yield to the allurements of the sense of touch.
[3] From what has already been said and shown in the chapter on the
wisdom of the angels of heaven (n. 265-275), it can be seen that the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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